November 2010 Hometown Hot Rodding

1965 Pontiac GTO
Pitcher’s Dream Car
Baseball fans may recognize the name BJ Ryan, who made a career in MLB as a pitcher. Sometimes we forget that professional athletes have the automotive cravings we have too, and that they are just regular guys who may have dreams of cruising and corner carving. Growing up, BJ didn’t have much exposure to cars up close and personal, but learned to admire them from afar. When he was older and could experience the cars firsthand, he was much more impressed and awaited the day he could have his dream car. His first ride wasn’t a Nova or a Mustang, but a utilitarian Toyota pickup that served him well, but didn’t fulfill what need he saved for later in life.

Buddy Brian Wolf, who was big into muscle cars, told BJ if he wanted a car, he wouldn’t rest until he found one for him. He clicked through the pages of eBay and spotted this super-clean ’65 GTO, and sent BJ the link. A California born and raised car, it had very little rust and almost no damage all together. Wolf’s dad drove out to check the car out firsthand, and gave it the thumbs up.

Browsing the Palm Harbor, Florida, shop Chimera Customs, BJ met PJ Davis, the head of design. Davis was showing him a complete car BJ was shopping around for, when the topic of the GTO came up. Rather than buying a finished car, BJ employed Davis and Chimera Customs to build his GTO. Previously unfamiliar with the whole build processes, BJ just told them what he liked and what his driving goals were, and they filled in the missing pieces. It turned out better than BJ could have hoped.

’65 Nova
Old Lady’s Car?
Early Chevy IIs have a very unique appeal. They understate their performance with the classic body lines that express simplicity and peacefulness, rather than wide-fendered muscle. That by no means sentences them to a life of servitude to the mundane life of an old lady’s car. They make for an unsuspected competitor.

Kelly Munk grew up loving these Novas. He watched many neighborhood cars drive by with pumped up motors. There were many Mustangs, Camaros, Mopars, and Pontiacs, but he always thought they looked as if they were trying too hard. The pre-’68 Nova shoe-box shape was what attracted Kelly, and he finally found one. It was parked at an old folks home he passed on the way to work, and one day he left a note under the wiper in hopes it was for sale. Not only did he not get a call, but the car disappeared, and Kelly forgot about it. Over a year later he got a call from a lady asking if he was still interested in buying her “old car.” Turns out she worked at the home, but she had retired and was preparing to move back home to spend time with her family. She needed the money from the car for the move halfway across the country, and Kelly was happy to help her out. Cash changed hands and both parties were happy! “How often does a rust-free, bone-stock ’65 Chevy II fall into your lap?” Kelly asks. Not too often.

’87 Fiero
A Hot Rod Too
When we think of muscle, we think big, all-steel, front-engine, and rear-wheel drive. Those are the common ingredients, but muscle is more than that. It’s a combination of performance and the feeling you get when you drive a car. It’s when you remember your Pop’s spinning the tires while you giggle in the passenger seat. James Belle of Santa Rosa, California, grew up as a Fiero enthusiast. Dad packed him and his kid sister in the single passenger seat, sparking James’ interest. Since those days in the late ’80s, James has had four of these cars, this ’87 being his most current. He had to step away from the cars for seven years for various reasons, and he had less time to be constantly tinkering on a car.

Before this one, he found one for sale that had been sitting for five years with a ton of back registration due, which he found out after he brought it home. On top of that, two weeks into his daily commute routine, the transmission failed and then a cooling system breakdown put him over the edge. He had to sell it. Now more eager than ever to find a Fiero in good enough shape to call his own, he picked up this dark red GT he spotted on his route as a meter reader. It makes some engine noise, but nothing a little supercharged 3,800cc V-6 can’t fix. The ’98 Bonneville donor motor got a couple extra performance goodies and is now ready to drop into the stocker Fiero’s bay. Once James gets tired of that combo, plans for a turbo system will take over and push him into the 12-second quarter-mile bracket.

James appreciates that Fieros aren’t the most popular and doesn’t care what negative things are said. He is happy to have something you don’t see every day, and how many domestic mid-engine sports cars under $6,000 can you build to outhandle 90 percent of cars on the road?

BY THE NUMBERS

1987 Pontiac Fiero GT

James Belle, 28 • Santa Rosa, CA300 hp

ENGINE

Type:

3800 SC 3.8L Supercharged (L67)

Block:

cast-iron, cross-drilled main caps

Rotating assembly:

8.5:1 compression, hypereutectic pistons, cast crank

Cylinder heads:

iron

Camshaft:

.258-/.258-inch lift, 182/192 degrees duration, 115 LSA

Valvetrain:

hydraulic rollers

Induction:

Eaton M90 supercharger

Ignition:

DIS

Cooling:

Champion three-core radiator, 180-degree thermostat

Fuel system:

ACDelco EP376 (LT1 Vette fuel pump)

Exhaust:

SSAC headers

Fasteners:

factory

DRIVETRAIN

Transmission/shifter:

4T65E-HD

Rear axle:

custom axles by MstangsBware (Fiero forum member)

CHASSIS

Front suspension:

KYB shocks, Eibach springs

Rear suspension:

KYB shocks, coilovers, ’88 Fiero cradle, and suspension

Brakes:

EBC Greenstuff

BODY/PAINT

Body:

factory

Paint:

dark red

WHEELS/TIRES

Wheels:

16×8 Veilside Andrew V three-piece aluminum

Tires:

225/50R16 and 245/55R16

Mothers Picture Perfect Award
This is the place to show off your pride and joy to the rest of mankind, so we figure those readers who took the time to capture a really cool shot of their hot rod should get a little bonus. Mothers agreed, and decided to come to the party with some freebies for the best picture submitted to PHR.

Each month, the editors at PHR will sift through the images and pick the one with the best composition, lighting, and overall quality. The winner will get a cool assortment of Mothers products to keep his or her ride looking nice and shiny. Mail us a CD with digital images in JPEG form, along with a written description of your car. Remember that digital images need to be 300 dpi, and the bigger the image, the larger it can run. Also, be sure to include info on the car, along with your name and address. Good luck!

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